Dad
His son was standing over the putt of his life, and Phil Mickelson Sr. had only one wish.
"I wish I could see more," he said.
All the elder Mickelson saw was a wall of green jackets standing up in front of him before his son's outstretched arms rose above them and the din surrounding the 18th green.
It was a little frustrating for the man who owns Sportscope, the company that makes those sleek, handheld periscopes with the magnification lens that you see at every golf tournament - except the Masters.
"My concern was that I've got something in the car that would allow me to enjoy this so much more, and it's so frustrating that I can't see."
In the long run, it was a minor irritation for the man who in so many ways made the 2004 Masters champion into the golfer he is today.
It was in the back yard 32 years ago that a naturally right-handed toddler became the mirror image of his father. While he hit golf balls, the elder Mickelson would put young Phil in front of him, where he would be out of harm's way.
Before Mickelson was 2, his father gave him a cut-down right-handed wood to play for himself.
"I had it all set up to hit right-handed and said, 'Okay, now you can swing it,'" Phil Sr. said. "And he immediately would go over to where he was and regrip the club left-handed and swing at it with the back of the wood."
The results were surprising.
"The swing was better than anyone can imagine," his father said. "A good turn, high finish, feet didn't move, stayed on balance, ended up on his forward foot after he swung. After he did that three times and went back over to his spot, I decided I wasn't going to change his swing, I'd change the golf club."
Mickelson slept with his filed-down backward club like most kids sleep with a teddy bear. It now resides in a shadow box in his trophy room.
By the time Mickelson was 3, his father had to talk the starter into letting him play on an 18-hole course. It was a hit-and-run experience that convinced his father that golf would be his destiny.
"That was a day I'll never forget," Phil Sr. said.
| See Phil Mickelson From All Sides | |
| The happiest player ever to win a major | |
| His colleagues | His family |
|
|
|
| His journey | His moment |
|
|
|
